Cooling electronics, reducing downtime

April 2005 Enclosures, Cabling & Connectors

Heat, dirt and humidity have accounted for more electronic downtime than most other causes. The solution up until now has been fans or airconditioners for heat, dehumidifiers for humidity and good old housekeeping for the dirt. All these methods have been satisfactory to a point, all requiring their own solution.

The Exair cabinet cooler is a low-cost, reliable way to cool and purge electronic control panels. The coolers incorporate a vortex tube to produce cold air from compressed air - with no moving parts or electricity. The compact Exair cooler can be installed in minutes through a standard electrical knockout.

Simply, compressed air enters the vortex tube and is converted into two streams; one hot and the other cold. Hot air from the cooler is muffled and exhausted through the exhaust tube. The cold air is discharged into the panel through the cold air distribution kit. The displaced hot air in the panel rises and exhausts into the atmosphere through the panel air exhaust at a slightly positive pressure. In this way the Exair cooler both cools and purges the panel with cold clean air. Outside air is never allowed to enter the panel.

The temperature can be regulated by thermostatic control, where continuous cooling is not required. The thermostatically controlled systems save air by activating the Exair cooler only when internal temperatures approach critical levels. The adjustable thermostat is factor set at 35°C. Thermostatic systems are recommended where heat load fluctuates and continual purging is not required.

Stainless steel Exair coolers are suitable for food service, pharmaceutical, harsh and corrosive environments. The range covers up to 2800 Btu/hr. To size a cooler for a panel it is necessary to consider the total heat load to which the panel is subjected to. Etest can size and recommend the most suitable Exair cooler for a given application.

For more information contact Rodney, Etest, 031 702 8302, [email protected]

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